Hitherto, feeding of the fluid substances such as the liquid food or nutrient preparation using the gastrostomy tube has been carried out for persons whose capability to take food orally by their own abilities is deteriorated due to aging or diseases (hereinafter referred to as a “patient”). The gastrostomy tube includes a stomach interior fixing member to be installed on the inside of a stomach wall at a hole (a gastric fistula) for dietary intake formed on the abdomen of the patient, and a tube member connected to the stomach interior fixing member at the distal portion thereof and extends through the hole toward the outside of the patient at the proximal portion. When inserting the gastrostomy tube into the hole formed on the patient's body, the operation for insertion is performed by a rod-shaped extender, such as that disclosed in JP-A-2003-275325.
The stomach interior fixing member of the gastrostomy tube is formed into a bowl shape, with a through hole through which the extender can be passed through a part in the vicinity of a joint member joining the extender with the tube member. When the extender is passed through the through hole of the gastrostomy tube from the outside and is pushed toward the distal portion of the stomach interior fixing member, the distal portion of the extender is hooked on the inner side of the stomach interior fixing member, and is used to push the interior fixing member into an elongated and narrowed state. Since the stomach interior fixing member in the narrowed state can pass through the hole formed on the abdominal part of the patient, the gastrostomy tube can be placed in the hole simply by inserting the stomach interior fixing member into the stomach. After inserting the stomach interior fixing member into the stomach, the extender is removed from the body.
When the gastrostomy tube is to be removed from the body, the user simply pulls on the tube member. In this case, the stomach interior fixing member is bent and contracted in a certain direction by the through hole, allowing it to be removed from the hole.
However, in the gastrostomy tube described above, resistance of the stomach interior fixing member is significant and hence the removal is difficult, painful, and likely to cause damage to the abdominal part of the patient. In addition, when inserting the gastrostomy tube into the hole formed on the patient's body, it is necessary for the user to manually press the extender against the stomach interior fixing member, and maintain this pressure constantly throughout the procedure. Complexity places a large burden on the operator.